


skin stories

by ConvenientAlias



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Disney Princesses, Mulan (1998)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, F/F, Nudity, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 08:31:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17443478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: Belle and Mulan at a stream.





	skin stories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/gifts).



It’s not that Belle has never seen Mulan naked before. She’s seen all of her at some time or other. It’s just that she usually doesn’t have the chance to enjoy it thoroughly. Late at night, the only light they have to see each other by is the lamp they use in the tent, which leaves so much obscured—besides which she is always very focused on touching Mulan, not so much on looking at her. And at other times she’s seen Mulan in parts—as she scrambles into clothing in the morning, skin quickly covered after a glimpse.

Today they have more leisure than usual. Technically they are bathing, out here in the stream, but they have all the afternoon to themselves, and so they are taking their time. Belle makes Mulan stop before she heads into the water, so that she can take a better look than usual.

What is most surprising is the number of scars. Glimpses told Belle that they existed, but not their number. Scratches on her arms and back, small white marks on her leg, a rather noticeable line on her side hovering over the ribs… it is hard to find a plane of skin untouched. Belle scans them like words on a page, then asks for their meaning.

Mulan explains some of the smaller marks first. “I climbed trees a lot when I was younger,” she says, gesturing to some of the marks on her legs. “…not always successfully. My father swore I would be the death of him.”

“And instead you ended up saving his life,” Belle says. It is a nice piece of irony.

Mulan shrugs with a small blush. “He might have done as well as I at war, it’s possible I was impatient… Well, and this,” she says, pointing out a mark on her shoulder, “is where an arrow snuck through a joint in my armor. I was with a squad patrolling when we were attacked by bandits.”

“You’ve never told me about that.”

“I don’t tell stories as well as you.”

“Then you just need more practice. You’ll tell me about it all later?”

“If you want,” Mulan concedes. “Though Yao could probably tell it better. I hope you meet Yao someday—he’s very good at telling stories. He’s very funny. And he was one of my first friends in the army.”

“Yes, one of your three loyal comrades.” Belle fights back a giggle. Mulan has told her a story about bathing with those men in a river, too… not so pleasant as today.

Maybe Mulan’s mind has been turned back to the matter at hand too, because she raises her eyebrows and says, “You’re not undressed yet.”

Belle admits the point and strips off her shift. But she barely has it off when Mulan is on her, mashing their faces together and gripping her at the waist. Naked, it tickles—Belle bats her away. “Not yet! You were telling me about…” she gestures at Mulan’s body.

Mulan shrugs. “It would take all day to explain them each. But they were mostly in the line of duty. What is there, really, to say?”

She pauses. Her hand rests on the scar on her side. “Well, this one is different, I guess. I got it defending my captain in the war agains the Huns.” Her expression flickers, then smoothes out. “There _really_ isn’t time for that one, though.” She grins. “Come on.”

Laughing, she pulls Belle to the stream, and they plunge in together. The water is cold, very cold, and Belle squeals when Mulan splashes her with a huge wave, soaking her hair and leaving droplets on her eyelashes. She retaliates, and Mulan retaliates at that, and for a while, with one distraction and another, they get very little bathing done.

Later, she dries off Mulan’s body with a threadbare towel, hovering over every scar for an extra moment. She dries Mulan’s back and places a kiss on her neck, tasting the water of the stream.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo... what's going on with Belle and Mulan exactly? Well, I think Belle's currently travelling with Mulan and a squad of Chinese soldiers, probably for diplomatic reasons, and has been for long enough that she and Mulan are in a somewhat-established relationship. Otherwise, don't ask me lols.  
> (...also this was originally gonna have sort-of-bath-sex but in the end it got away from me so oh well...)


End file.
